Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
March 22, 2016

As we head into de final days of de Lenten Season, get ready to observe de re-enactment of de Crucifixion of our Saviour Jesus, and den de celebration of de risen Christ. De Vendor gine try to deal wid some positive matters. Part of de tradition is to give up something fuh Lent.

Yuh couldn’t script dat one if wunnah tried. De truth is I didn’t give up anything, but ah didn’t eat meat pun Fridays; and ah try to do most things in moderation ––
even exercise!

De devil like he does be busy. From de time you decide you gine give up something, all of a sudden yuh want it at every turn? I decide no dessert, and sudden so I
craving dessert.

Same thing wid meat or souse! Every Friday I got dis urge to tear into a nice juicy steak, all because I decide I not gine eat meat pun Friday! Last Friday I hold out strong. Some lamb shanks come out de oven; de whole kitchen smell like Champers. De Vendor had to run out de kitchen.

“Tomorrow I will deal wid dem shanks; but not today Friday!”

Temptation, muh brudder. De Devil like he is a sheep or at least a lamb shank. One more Friday to go and I know my girl Eleanor Griffith at Oistins done got my good Friday supplies of fish lock away, so dat come de day I well prepared.

De Vendor not getting into de politics of de 50th Independence Anniversary Celebrations, but if you was married to a woman fuh 50 years (not dat I would ever reach dah milestone), yuh mean I gine come home and bring she a sheet of plywood from H&B Hardware and tell she Bizzy say happy anniversary? Dat is doghouse destiny!

If I pass by H&B and buy some items from Mr Mark Roach and de team, dat cannot count as a 50th anniversary gift! Mop buckets, brooms, locks and bolts: dem is items de house might need, but dem cannot be anniversary gifts.

Fuh a 50th yuh got to come good, pass through by Jacob Hasid’s Cartier store in LimeGrove and pick up something shiny; pick up a li’l something by Mrs Hopkins at Gatsby; a nice pair of shades from Eye Q; a handbag from Michael Kors or Louis Vuitton; something wid Burberry pun it, or Polo, or Armani, and top it off wid some nice Indian cuisine from
House of Jaipur.

There is a time and a place fuh de food truck; but not pun a 50th anniversary. So while I don’t know if $7 million is enough, too little or too much, what dis Vendor know is dat no matter how bad things is, you got to loosen de purse strings li’l bit and celebrate. Otherwise, it is definitely de doghouse.

And listen, yuh got to invite de who is who to come and have a libation or two, have de diplomatic corps come and see dat while things might be tight, we mature enough to know dis is de way it must be done.We don’t grow no bananas here; so we can’t behave like a banana republic!

Imagine we celebrating 50 years and de programme is as follows:

A picnic at Barclays Park, but yuh bring yuh own food basket; Andrew Bynoe get ask to bring along a sow to roast; Richard Cozier arriving wid a truckload of Banks and Deputy; Richard Sealy in de front seat of de Deputy truck; Doc Estwick got de Audi load down wid cassava, eddo and yam to roast; and de diplomatic corps, lather in sunblock, bringing de dessert!

It can’t work so. Fifty years is an important milestone; we can’t be reckless, but we got to loosen some change –– de same way we loosen it fuh de Cricket World Cup in 2007 or fuh when we did announce National Heroes or fuh any other important milestone or event.

I like bananas but not banana republics!

I Market Vendor gone fuh now. You have a blessed and a wonderful day, yuh hear